Fore Man

A few added thoughts...we all need to watch the insidious creep of any form of sugar into our diets. It's not just sucrose or fructose that can lead to obesity and type 2 diabetes. Sugar is present in milk as lactose, in all fruits as fructose and in honey. It's an ingredient in almost all baked goods. And as many have already mentioned, iced coffee and espresso drinks made with sweetened milk are quietly but steadily turning young people into diabetics. Most health authorities have lowered their recommended daily intake of all sugars to just 50-grams. That's the equivalent of 12.5 teaspoons a day of sugar. It doesn't take much to overload your diet and undermine your health. Sugar is jet fuel for cancers and can cause early onset of liver disease. Read labels, even though most are covered over here with Thai translations. Learn how to translate them...it's your health at stake.

The epidemic hitting Thailand will only be overcome through education at the grass roots level and in every grade in the school system. Accurate and hard-hitting messages need to be perpetuated in social media where so many Thais spend many waking hours raptly reading.

To wean yourself off of sugar-laden drinks, try making a simple drink using soda water, squeezed limes and ginger tea or fresh/powdered ginger (look for the no sugar added variety). Add a sprig or two of fresh mint. I mix up a batch and keep it in a large plastic container with a pour spout. It has practically zero calories and is a great tonic that you can sip while at your desk or watching TV. Google up recipes on how to make it or simply experiment yourself.

A few added thoughts...we all need to watch the insidious creep of any form of sugar into our diets. It's not just sucrose or fructose that can lead to obesity and type 2 diabetes. Sugar is present in milk as lactose, in all fruits as fructose and in honey. It's an ingredient in almost all baked goods. And as many have already mentioned, iced coffee and espresso drinks made with sweetened milk are quietly but steadily turning young people into diabetics. Most health authorities have lowered their recommended daily intake of all sugars to just 50-grams. That's the equivalent of 12.5 teaspoons a day of sugar. It doesn't take much to overload your diet and undermine your health. Sugar is jet fuel for cancers and can cause early onset of liver disease. Read labels, even though most are covered over here with Thai translations. Learn how to translate them...it's your health at stake.

The epidemic hitting Thailand will only be overcome through education at the grass roots level and in every grade in the school system. Accurate and hard-hitting messages need to be perpetuated in social media where so many Thais spend many waking hours raptly reading.

To wean yourself off of sugar-laden drinks, try making a simple drink using soda water, squeezed limes and ginger tea or fresh/powdered ginger (look for the no sugar added variety). Add a sprig or two of fresh mint. I mix up a batch and keep it in a large plastic container with a pour spout. It has practically zero calories and is a great tonic that you can sip while at your desk or watching TV. Google up recipes on how to make it or simply experiment yourself.

It may be time for a certain higher authority to step in and issue a summary pardon, along with full compensation, immediate citizenship, an official apology and a reprimand issued to the Royal Thai Police for their callous handling of the case and willingness to send two innocent men to a lifetime in jail or worse.

It is my understanding that Boeing let subcontracts with Chinese aerospace companies to build certain structural parts for its aircraft. Hence, Chinese characters found in the flaperon.

This past week, my Thai wife spoke to a captain who works at the airport immigration office. Beforehand, we were advised by the Promenada staff to contact the airport office to determine the whereabouts of my previously-submitted 90-day report via mail. The captain explained that he had processed my paperwork and it was in the pile to be returned by mail. He asked my wife to come over and retrieve my approved certificate rather than wait on the mail.

The foregoing is provided as background...

He then told her that the mail-in system is no longer supported and that the process has been stopped. Ergo, the only way going forward will be to submit your paperwork in person or via proxy at Promenada or use a commercial service to do it for you. My wife told the officer that this is a change to how most Chiang Mai expats view the 90-day reporting process and if it is a new policy, then it needs to be properly disseminated...via media announcements, posted signs and information boards at both immigration offices and on the immigration website. Until this formal announcement is properly made by the authoritities, they should expect continued mail-ins from expats living in this region. My own gut tells me they will accept mailed appIications until some saturation point is reached...when this will occur is of course yet unknown, but I wouldn't want to have mine caught in limbo...summarily rejected or even discarded and then be in jeopardy of paying penalties. My advice is to stay closely informed on this issue and don't make up your own rules.

I hate to admit this, but many, many of my fellow Americans confuse Thailand and Taiwan. Once I corrected a store clerk whom I told that I was visiting from Thailand. She then uttered ..."Gee, Taiwan is s. o far away, right?" So I repeated that I came from Thailand, not Taiwan. Her retort was typical..."whatever". This stems from ignorance, lack of appreciation for other cultures and just plain stupidity.

This is nothing odd...most Thai come from poor backgrounds, and hoarding everything is their safety net for when times are lean again...even though 99% of the stuff being saved will never, ever be reused. People who rose from needy backgrounds have long memories and even if you now live in relative opulence, your Thai wife will always be a hoarder. We live in a large, comfortable home designed to Western standards, yet open any drawer and you'll find it crammed full of arcane bits and detritus. We too have enough plates and glassware to fit out 10 families, but every time we shop at Big C, there's yet another cheap freebie to bring home and add to the ever-expanding stash. We purposely added room air conditioning units to cool off things, but they are almost never used in favor of electric fans that only add to the cluttered decor. To a Thai, clutter equates to security and comfort...as in, 'all of this belongs to me!'. We designed and installed a show-off, fancy Western kitchen with costly appliances that have never been used, yet these were 'must-haves' when the home was being built. When little things break or need repairs, the job is put off interminably....most likely due to a built-in reluctance to spend money. I could go on and on, but I am fairly sure that any Farang married to a Thai woman will see striking similarities in his given situation. No matter how economically sound we may be, we cannot change Thai household customs, and it is pointless to even try. All we can do is be thankful for the little things we have and glad we aren't living in some other Godforsaken place where life is a constant grind marked by strife and unending toil.

Can't feel too sorry for Mr. Williams. He is a few years into a 5-year contract from NBC worth $50 million. Yes, he had to suffer the loss of six months pay, but I gather he'll be crying all the way to the bank

The new underpass will be a huge improvement at that intersection. But, the real problem will occur downstream, further south down Highway 107. There are several lighted intersections in a row that must be negotiated before reaching the Superhighway. These will create bottlenecks in that direction and unless drivers opt to exit at various points along the way, traffic congestion will be maddening anyway. The great mass of vehicular traffic heading south either turns right on the Superhighway or continues straight into the city center. I thus predict a continued mess despite the huge expense and construction delays in building the underpass.

How does base jumping make ones life fuller, even if afraid of ones own skin. You posses the same narrow minded view of those you are being critical of. Not only did he break the law, but by his actions he put, potentially, the lives of others at risk via rescue attempts.

No he did not live a fuller life than me, his was shorter though. All the same my condolences to his famil.

I respect your views. Well, at least we agree on expressing sympathies to his NOK. We can't all live our mortal lives perched over a keyboard or criticizing others who are willing to dare from our armchairs.

To those who malign the deceased because of his extraordinary zest for life on the very edge...I suggest that you heed the old advice...'don't knock it until you've tried it'. I made over 5,000 free falls in my youth and yes, they were considered as stunts and some may have accused me of playing out a death wish. But it was none of that...just full enjoyment of everything life offers and the great exhilaration we can feel when taking part in putatively dangerous activities. Anyone who has ever made a sport jump knows only too well that the most dangerous part of parachuting is the drive to the airport. Dean Potter took greater risks than the average skydiver,yes, but was well aware of those risks, hedged them as best as he could, and yet tragically perished while doing so. But he may have lived a fuller life in his 43 years than most people do if they make it into their 80s and beyond afraid of their own skin. Please don't judge the man but grant him eternal peace now that he is among the angels. Dean, RIP my adventurous friend. You will be missed.

We live in Mae Rim in a single family home we built; have had semiannual cleanings done for our 11 units. Three of those units are large hybrids with the distribution/blower units located in the overhead above the ceiling with ducting that pipes air into more than one room. The individual room units have all been flawless...the only issues experienced are the batteries leaking in the remotes (most of these room units are never used or sparingly used) and we've been in the home 10+ years. Two years ago, one of these 3 hybrids began acting up and stopped chilling the 2 rooms it services. Before going on the blink, those rooms were easily cooled to 21 degrees if needed. After repeated cleanings, refrigerant top-offs and other low-pressure/high-pressure system checks, the problem persisted. The culprit turned out to the lengthy (10-meter) connecting hose that runs from the compressor located outside in a shady space, up the exterior wall, over the ceiling and connecting to the distribution unit. They replaced that hose and the problem seemed to be corrected. The senior tech told us that it was possible that rats running in the overhead crawl space had chewed into the hose, damaging it and allowing the temperature in the line to rise. Everything else checked-out and thoroughly stymied the team. By the time the charge arrived at the distro unit, it was ineffective. Ergo, you might need to have that connecting line looked into as well.

East meets west. Lots of noise with the underclasses moving upward.

Violence and unwanted behavior is on the rise. Hooligans' behavior is a good example (lately the Rotterdam's team ugly behavior in Rome).

It is all about the money that tourists have and that Thais do not have. Tourists are low hanging fruit; easier than taking school seriously, or taking job seriously. On the other hand, Thai culture does not include any path for the bottom third of the society to better themselves. One thing is sure; as the economy gets worse and layoffs increase, crime against tourists will go up. Wily Sutton, a famous bank robber in the U.S. many years ago was asked by a reporter why he robbed banks. Sutton did not have to think about the answer and replied, "That's where the money is."

This is the best post I have seen in months...truer words have never been written and you cut to the chase succinctly without staging a rant. Thank you!

Well, OP, as I was passing by the runway on an afternoon recently, I saw one Thai AIr BIG mother getting ready for take-off. If it wasn't Jumbo's mama, it should have been on a diet! Two engines, each larger than the average Hillside 4 condo! Don't know where it was going, but there's no rocket large enough to get it to the moon! Perth? Ok! That's pretty close!

Happy plane spotting!

That was probably a B-777; they are huge twin-engined aircraft and dwarf most other jets flown into CNX. I have also flown many times either to or from BKK aboard a TG 747. The flight number out of CNX was 123. Also flew aboard a brand new 787 into CNX one time several months ago. A beautiful airliner indeed.

A pundit once remarked..."when you give a man a gun, you'd better watch him".

Posted by a former tandem master with 5,200 leaps: It appears his main deployed in spite of being fouled by the A/C and he did not have to pull his reserve. The reserve pud was still stowed in his harness. Whew! I've had had a few choice words with that hotdogging pilot...in way too big of a hurry to get down to pick up another load (D-4353).

Agree with post #11; North Hill is top notch, undersubscribed at this writing, reasonably-priced but the short overall distance belies the difficulties to be found in crowned, contoured greens, lurking water hazards not shown in caddie books and uneven lies elsewhere. Break 100 and you'll be doing well your first outing. Break 90 there and you could probably break 80 at many other area courses. The course manager told me that he believes they have made the golf course too difficult for most players. As for Hang Dong? It's a joke in the high season. Don't bother going there until March. For an inexpensive practice game, try San Sai New Golf off of Mae Jo Road, north of CM. It's a par 29, nine hole course consisting of 7 par 3s of varying lengths and two short par 4s that would be listed as longer par 3s anywhere else. But beware of water lying on or astride almost every hole. For THB 250 you can play all day long and don't need a caddy. The fee includes free rental of a trolley.

Another 9-hole course not listed previously is Stardome, located adjacent to the airport. It is regulation length, par 36. Pricing is a tad on the high side but you are paying for the convenience of playing golf in downtown CM. If water intimidates you, don't go there! The course is fraught with water carries or lateral hazards that can easily collect your errant shots. Finally, Gassan Lake City has reopened following a lengthy closure. Early golfer reports are very favorable. This course is located just south of CM along the Highway 11 corridor near Saraphi.

Try some yoga stretches; they helped me immeasurably, when everything else proved either useless or of limited help. Good luck. Another idea is to consider using an inversion table. This can unload your spine and can cause immediate relief. Look into contraindications before using one to make sure that all you can tolerate such treatments.

The most predominant trait I see on the Forum is how many TV posters get wildly off topic and start blathering about something that has absolutely nothing to do with the subject at hand. This was about a foreigner who brandished a knife at a Pattaya McDonalds''s, and a great many subsequent raves were about the assailant's ethnic background and minor spats that ran between posters on ethnicity or nationality. Seems to me that we ought to clean up the idiots on our own forum before commenting on the actions of others who are reported in the news media. Enough is enough! Please have consideration for the rest of us who have to wade through this garbage.

au contraire...USA is Fear Mongering 505 because that is what they are good at. This is all 9/11 --an Inside Whack Job.

BioTerror being handled expertly by Langely (CIA).

Believe if you want all the government edicts and orchestrated TV shows. CDC as the bumbling idiots. A teleprompter Prez.

America is just a shell of its former self.

What makes sense is thus "US Government WANTS ebola to spread." Once the World Series ends and prior to the holidays, this thing will explode in USA. Mostly to mask a collapsing economy.

CDC loves pointing fingers and blaming the nurses stating "a breach of protocol."

If anyone on ThaiVisa thinks people in USA embrace CDC line, you are mistaken. Everyone duly misses the straight-talkling C. Everett Cooper. Not the DoubleSpeak TV Drama unfolding.

USA has become a shameful country. Big Pharma waiting in the wings with an expensive vaccine.

This Soap Opera is just getting underway.

burgdawg, I think you might have intended to say "C. Everett Koop", not "Cooper". Dr. Koop was the well-respected, plain-talking former US Surgeon General that I believe you are referring to.

Unfortunately, we have an Englishman living here with his Thai wife, renting a home in our private golf course community, whose dogs poop all over the street in front of his home as well as wherever he takes them for walks...and this poop is never removed. It has become a topic of much consternation to all of his neighbors. He refuses to accept responsibility. So what to do? We've complained to the newly-formed community HOA, but that got us nowhere as it does not wish to police its members.

Research shows that drinking large amounts of unfiltered coffee (e.g, percolator drip/espresso/French press) could stimulate the body to raise cholesterol levels .  Here is an excerpt taken from an online article published by the Mayo Clinic:

"....However, the research appears to bear out some risks. High consumption of unfiltered coffee (boiled or espresso) has been associated with mild elevations in cholesterol levels. And some studies found that two or more cups of coffee a day can increase the risk of heart disease in people with a specific — and fairly common — genetic mutation that slows the breakdown of caffeine in the body. So, how quickly you metabolize coffee may affect your health risk."

The complete article is found here:  http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/coffee-and-health/faq-20058339

I also learned this past year after an abnormal stress EKG that drinking caffeinated beverages can cause or exacerbate heart arrhythmias, including irregular or missing heartbeats (look up 'preventricular' and/or 'pre-atrial contractions').  The cardiologist suggested that I stop drinking coffee and increase my intake of foods containing potassium & magnesium.  I started eating more bananas and other mineral-rich foods as well and my PVC/PAC events diminished sharply after lowering my regular, caffeinated coffee consumption and started drinking decaf.  It took awhile to fool my system that I wasn't getting a caffeine jolt any more, and yes, I went through a mild withdrawal period, but now I'm accustomed to decaf and it works well when made into a low-fat milk or low-sugar latte.

The roadwork will be done next year and will create an underpass on 107 similar to the ones built on the Inner Ring Road.  Yes, it is a nuisance but badly needed.  Once that is done, they'll perform the same renovation along Highway 1001 (Mae Jo Road).

Totally concur with OP as well as the supporting consensus of following posts. I might add three thoughts:

1. If you book an online appointment and cannot keep it, please cancel it online or visit Immigration to ask them to delete it from the record. These appointments are scarce and if you don't need yours I can promise you that someone else will. Make a note of your booking confirmation number as well as the exact date and time. When canceling your online booking, you must have the confirmation number. If you forget to record it, and cannot perform the cancellation online, at least you can give your appointment details to the staff.

2. It helps tremendously to form and nurture relationships with the staff. A cheerful, respectful well-groomed Thai wife, assuming you are married to one, goes miles in easing things that you need done.

3. Please dress respectfully, take the time to bathe and shave. Thais value neatness and personal grooming highly, and many foreigners living here have unfortunately not ingrained these habits.